Rick Santorum: U.S. needs newcomers

Rick Santorum called for immigration reform on Tuesday, saying that without newcomers from abroad the United States is going to shrink.

“I think the fact that we send some of those people back and don’t give them the opportunity to participate here is wrong,” Santorum told POLITICO. “I think we need to look at a simple fact: We are not having enough children to replace ourselves. Our country is not growing in population simply by the people that are here.”

Santorum joined other conservatives who have spoken out recently on the issue of immigration following GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s failed election bid, which some say was due to him not being able to attract enough of the Hispanic vote. Earlier Tuesday, former President George W. Bush spoke in Dallas, saying immigrants help the economy.

Santorum — who also said he is not ruling out a 2016 presidential run — stressed that as a first-generation American who is the son of an immigrant, he understands the issue particularly well.

But what should lawmakers do? “You can’t be hostile on the issue of immigration, which I am not. You have to understand the values of immigrants who come to this country, which I do from my own personal experience. And then you need to talk about issues that create opportunities for those like my grandfather and my father who went from laborer to someone working in [an] office to someone with a higher degree of education and moving on up,” he said.

That goal of upward economic mobility is what Santorum said represents “the progress of America.”

“You have folks who can rise and improve their economic stature and — very importantly — reach some level of security, where people feel like they’re settled in and they have a life that is not uncertain,” he said.

Santorum didn’t advocate for a specific immigration policy while he spoke with POLITICO following an appearance at Books-A-Million in McLean, Va., where he signed copies of his book, “American Patriots.” Santorum, sporting his signature sweater vest, was also promoting Patriot Voices, the 501(c)4 group he launched in June to support conservative candidates.

Readers' Comments (14)

note the following on Rick Santorum's "big tent" immigration ideas. I think he may have forgot like the other failed GOP primary candidates that once you say really dumb stuff in the primaries, it is on the internet forever. Zero credibility on the issue of immigration or anything else for that matter.

At a December stop in Spencer, Iowa, Santorum took the position that it is impossible for anyone in the country illegally to make positive contributions to the United States. He said he believes any action by an undocumented immigrant is inherently illegal.

Santorum says people without documents should not be able to hold jobs, and “if we enforce the law, more people will leave.”

Santorum favors legislation that would make English the official language of the United States and make immigrants learn it to come here.

It is not that Republicans need new faces, they need to treat the working class better. They need to start dealing with facts in the real world and not facts as they would like them to be. If you really think new faces will do it for the GOP, why don't you be the first to go find a quiet place to sit and be quiet.

Santorum is a fool. We have dozens of visa programs allowing over a million a year to come legally. What is lacking are leaders with spines willing to enforce our laws.

There is no immigration problem that needs to be "fixed".

Immigration was "fixed" in 1986 when we gave amnesty to over 3 million illegals in exchange for strict enforcement of our laws so we would never need to give another amnesty..

The problem is not immigration, but the unwillingness by those that profit from immigration to enforce our laws.Unless you "fix" the problem of weasels refusing to enforce our laws or abide by their promises, no amount of fine words or "fixing" will ever accomplish a thing.

As for the millions here illegally, and what will happen to them if we cut off their jobs and benefits? they will go home. There will be ranting and raving and gnashing of teeth and calling those that enforce the laws all sorts of terrible names, but they should save their drama for those that caused the problem, which are those that refused to enforce the laws and those that broke them.

Harry Reid No Sane Country Would Permit Birthright Citizenship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiNix9VAGVE

While I appreciate Rick Santorum and his stand for protecting innocent Life...with so many out of work, WHY should we bring in any more people until we get this Country on track ?......How GOP can win Food Stamp Americans....William Murray at WND

Surely any SANE person could realize that flooding EVERY White country & ONLY White countries with hundreds of millions of non-Whites and telling everyone to "assimilate" to create a blended humanity is White genocide

Africa will still be full of Africans and Asia will still be full of Asians. Only White children will suffer from this.

"Anti-Racists" are really just anti-whites pushing for the most massive program of genocide in human history.

Exactly. How many newcomers will be enough? Republicans show their stupidity by flip-flopping on illegal immigration. This flip flop will take the party down forever. Their base will revolt. How soon they forget that this issue allowed Romney to best all of his opponents. It was his hypocritical movement "to the middle" after the primary that sunk him. No one buys these flip flops when the internet exists.

Pure political BS to try to make the amnesty Obama is about to grant a little more palatable to the taxpayers stuck with the bill for these people. Over $100Billion annually is not sustainable. Send Mexico home.

Pure political BS to try to make the amnesty Obama is about to grant a little more palatable to the taxpayers stuck with the bill for these people. Over $100Billion annually is not sustainable. Send Mexico home.